Covering Ali's life from 1964 to 1973, "Ali" introduces us to young Cassius Clay just prior to his first fight with Sonny Liston (Michael Bentt). The first act of Mann's epic chronicles Clay's conversion to Islam and transformation into Ali. Act Two deals with Ali's persecution by the US government for his refusal to fight in Vietnam and the subsequent stripping of his title as World Heavyweight Champion. The final chapter deals with his triumph in the US Supreme court and his return to the top of the boxing world with his defeat of George Forman (Charles Shufford) in 1974's "Rumble in the Jungle." Ali is a person of mythical proportions. "Ali" shows Ali to be a real human with the strengths and frailties common to all mankind. At the same time "Ali" shows that Ali was and is an extraordinary man, athlete, and role model.

The collaborative process of movie making has never been better illustrated than by Michael Mann and Will Smith's efforts in this movie. There are long sections of film in which Smith is silent. Smith's actions, body movement and facial expressions express changes in his character which are accentuated by Mann's directorial choices. The opening sequence is one such example. The best illustration of this comes late in the film. Ali is doing some road work in Zaire in preparation for the fight with George Forman. As Ali runs through a poverty stricken town, he is mobbed by masses of children and adults. They run beside him as if he were the Pied Piper. Ali breaks away from the main road and begins to run through the inner township. He basks in the adulation of the crowd. As he runs, Ali notices graffiti on the crumbling walls of the African homes. The graffiti depicts Ali as a giant being attacked by helicopters and jet planes ALA King Kong or Godzilla. Smith shines in this scene as he is humbled by these images of hope. When Ali fought the US government over Vietnam, Ali fought the giant and won. Ali symbolized hope to these people of Zaire who were living under their own despot, President Mobutu (Malick Bowens). Smith doesn't speak a word during this scene, but his face and body speak volumes. We see the pride of self leave his body. The weight of other people's pride in him bears down on Ali's shoulders in a truly powerful sequence.

Will Smith should be elevated into the ranks of Tom Hanks and Denzel Washington with this star-making role. The work Smith put into his body for this role is obvious. Smith also studied the mannerisms of Ali's fighting style and his vocal inflections. After five minutes, and long before Smith even speaks one line of dialogue, I'd forgotten that I was watching Will Smith. I was watching Ali. Ali was known for his rhyming and humor. He hits just as hard with his mouth as his fists. I half expected Will Smith to rely on his comic talents to carry the film. While Smith does present Ali the joker, this makes up only a small part of the performance. The script shows Ali warts and all. Smith's interpretation is powerful, subtle and inspiring. Smith does not create a characature of a well-known man, but rather climbs inside of Ali's very skin. He inhabits Ali as if he were the man himself. If some interpret the collaborative story-telling between Smith and Mann, in which Smith silently grows during several of Mann's lyrical and poetic sequences, as a one-note performance by Smith then they do not understand movie making. In silence, Smith speaks with his eyes. It is more than mechanics, it is brilliance. The Academy's engraver should go ahead and put Mr. Smith's name on the statue now. The Fresh Prince no longer, Will Smith has matured into a King.

Smith's performance is not the only Oscar caliber performance in "Ali." Mario Van Peebles blew me away as Malcolm X. While I have enjoyed Mr. Peebles work, nothing in his past prepared me for the depth of character he showed in the pivotal role as Ali's first teacher in the faith. The first hour of the film deals with Ali's conversion to Islam. That first hour, following the Liston fight, is dominated by the character of Malcolm X. This was early 1964. Malcolm X had made enemies with the leader of the Nation of Islam, Elijah Muhammad (Albert Hall). Malcolm had begun to question the separatist views of the Nation, and to see that there were whites who were not the devils he had preached they were. Malcolm began to reach out to Martin Luther King (Levar Burton). He was assassinated by his own Muslim brothers. The time spent on Malcolm X's relationship with Ali and others is very important to the story. Ali sees Malcolm X stand up for his beliefs, even when they cause differences within his own faith. He sees a changed man who listens to his own voice. He sees a man who stays the course even unto death. Mr. Peebles takes this daunting task on his shoulders and carries it off with perfection. His Malcolm X sets the spiritual tone of the film. He is the mentor who inspires Ali's own inner strength. Even though Ali turns his back on Malcolm out of ignorance, Ali later realizes this mistake and is able to walk in his own way with the strength of Malcolm X in his heart. Peebles personifies a man of faith, leadership and warmth. These are not characteristics the uninformed would associate with the stereotypical militant image of Malcolm X. It is a challenging role carried off with great finesse and maturity by Mr. Peebles. As with many other such low key, yet powerful performances (Donald Sutherland in "Ordinary People" for example), Mario Van Peebles will probably be overlooked as a Best Supporting Actor nominee. This would be a shame.

Sure to receive a Best Supporting Actor nod is Jon Voight's dead-on portrait of Howard Cosell. Mr. Voight's make-up is distracting for the first few seconds of his screen time. Once he gets rolling, Mr. Voight makes the viewer forget that anything except that Howard Cosell himself is on screen. To those who lived through these events, Cosell's affection and admiration for Ali is legendary. Were the two not who they were, Cosell and Ali could have been a great comedy team. Their relationship is one of the highlights of Ali's real story and certainly one of the highlights of the movie.

Jamie Foxx turns in a surprisingly good performance as Ali hanger-on Drew Brown. While Foxx provides hilarious comic relief, he also has several stand-out dramatic scenes involving his character's drug addiction. Ron Silver is solid as Ali trainer Angelo Dundee. Mykelti Williamson is cartoonish as crooked promoter Don King. This may be more the fault of the script than Mr. Williamson's performance.

To quote the Godfather of Soul, "It's a man's world!" In "Ali" the female characters are submissive to the men. When they aren't, they are quickly discarded. Will Smith's wife Jada Pinkett Smith plays Ali's first wife Sonji Roi. The sexy Sonja makes the conversion to Islam in order to marry Ali, however she doesn't want to forgo the fancy clothes that Ali's winnings afford her. She is quickly sent packing with a 90 day Islamic divorce. Pinkett-Smith doesn't have enough screen time to make much of an impression. The real impact from the ladies side of the aisle comes from Nona M. Gaye (daughter of the late Marvin Gaye) as Belinda, Ali's second wife. Belinda is a practicing Muslim. The two fit well together. The Bible mentions that a couple shouldn't be unevenly yoked, i.e. a believer should stick with other believers in marriage. This principle seems to hold true to the Islamic faith too. Ali and Belinda seem to be true soulmates whose marriage is strengthen by their faith. There is a scene in which they hold hands for the first time after temple that is beautiful in its simplicity and grace. Smith and Gaye have great chemistry together. When Belinda tells Ali that be should beware the old "friends" from the Nation of Islam who deserted him when he was down, you feel the deep concern she has for her man. She also portrays the submissive side of women in Islam when after saying her piece to her husband in private, abiding by his decision in public. The viewer also feels for Belinda as the couple's marriage hits rocky seas. When her husband betrays her, Belinda rightfully abandons the submissive role in a realistic confrontation scene. While not an Oscar caliber performance, Nona Gaye becomes one more solid brick in this insightful film.

Michael Mann is a post-modern David Leane. Even his short films such as "Manhunter" are epic in scope. "Ali" is at once his most lyrical movie and at the same time the most realistic. It's realism lies in the way it fathoms through the depths of Ali's character. The fact that Mann spends nearly an hour exploring the relationship of Ali and Malcolm X in order to show that relationships effect on Ali's later hardships was a bold and brave decision. If this period of Ali's life had been glossed over with a five minute montage of the two men, the later set piece involving Ali's battle with the draft board would not be as understandable or powerful. Ali witnessed Malcolm stand up to the Nation of Islam to the point he took several bullets for his convictions. Ali saw a man who listened to his own voice. Ali became a man who listened to his own voice.

Listening to your own voice is best illustrated in the film's final fight sequence. This final scene also is a perfect example of the film's lyrical composition. While Angelo Dundee and others are yelling their opinions about how Ali should handle George Forman, Ali sits in a place of personal solitude. Mann uses the voice over to let us in on Ali's own thoughts and strategies. Ali listens to his own voice and triumphs. The musical choices also add to the lyrical quality, especially during the African sequence.

For some reason, Mann seemed to have used digital video during a couple of scenes. When Ali and Sonja spend their first night together, the love scene has a video look about it which is distracting. Other than these couple of scenes, the movie is beautifully filmed and edited. I especially liked Mann's decision during a few of the fight scenes to use quick snatches of distorted, multi-imaged photography to capture the point of view of the opponent who was being pummeled by Ali. The attention to detail of the fighting styles of the various fighters is also appreciated. There are no "Rocky-esque" fight montages. The fight scenes go round by round and capture the drama of the sport. Even to fans who know the outcome of each fight, the sequences create palpable tension. Mann also takes care to recreate the actual combination of punches which felled Ali's victims. Smith pegged Ali's "float like a butterfly, sting like a bee" style absolutely.

As is the case with many great men, faith is central to Ali's character. Following the events of September 11th, many have voice suspicions about Muslims. Ali is presented as a true believer who uses his faith as a moral center and source of strength. Ali comes across as tolerant of other religions. He is also forgiving, even of those who betray him. It is a positive portrait of religion in film. This is a rare thing to see. It challenges the audience due to September 11th, but it serves as a reminder that Islam and terrorism are not synonyms. As a Christian, I only wish Hollywood would present a Christian character with such a brush. Though Ali comes across as a true believer, he is not shown to be a pious prude. Ali sins willingly at one point even though the act is in direct conflict with his faith. He tells the woman he is about to commit adultery with that he wished he had waited until he was 50 years old to find Allah. He has a weakness for girl flesh. Bold and honest filmmaking which has the hero talk about God on the way to a tryst.

"Ali" will win the Oscars for Best Picture, Actor and Director this year. It should receive a Best Supporting Oscar for John Voight. I hope Mario Van Peebles is also nominated for his work. I also suspect that the screenplay, cinematography, score, editing and costumes will receive nominations.

During the scene in which Ali arrives in Zaire to fight Forman, he is greeted at the airport by thousands of fans who are yelling "Bumaye! Ali!" It means "Kill him! Ali!" Ali does just that to Forman. "Ali" did just that to me!

Rusty White, 2001